Even though March isn’t the most exciting month in terms of new releases, the past week has been quite eventful in terms of upcoming stuff. First and foremost, the reports of a new, upgraded Switch stirred the web and then we even got a look at the highly anticipated Elden Ring, among other news.
ELDEN RING LEAKED TRAILER IS MAKING ROUNDS AROUND THE WEB
Elden Ring seems like a more than worthy successor to Dark Souls
Elden Ring has been wrapped in a mystery bubble ever since its announcement. Up until now, we knew next to nothing about this collaboration between creators of Dark Souls and George R.R. Martin. The new info isn’t from an official source and comes in the form of a leaked trailer that gives players a small taste of gameplay footage from the title and a sense of what the game is about.
The footage seems to live up to fan expectations as it depicts a high fantasy world full of dragons and other mythological beasts. The protagonist is highly reminiscent of the ones seen in previous FromSoftware games. There’s even a narrator that seems to indicate the titular Elden Ring is an item that the protagonist seems to be looking for. To check the full trailer description as well as what little we know about Elden Ring and its development, check out our original news coverage.
NEXT NEED FOR SPEED GAME HAS BEEN DELAYED TO 2022.
Let’s hope they manage to re-imagine the known formula
Despite the Need for Speed franchise being somewhat stagnant, there’s still always much hype when a new one is announced. Well, it seems we’ll be waiting quite a while for the next one since it’s been officially delayed to 2022. While Criterion will continue working on the game, in the meantime, the team has been shifted to work on the next Battlefield that is due to release by the end of this year.
This next release in the Need for Speed series will be the first time Criterion has returned to full development on the franchise since 2012’s Most Wanted which many call the best entry in the entire franchise. Most Wanted 2 anyone? For more information on the delay and what EA is currently up to, check out our original news coverage.
DOOM 3 VR EDITION HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR PSVR
It’s time to go to Mars and slay some hell-knights
Doom 3 is often considered the odd child in the entire franchise. While it was still an action game through and through, it had a much more grounded, horror feel to it so someone at Bethesda rightfully decided it would be a good fit for VR. Doom 3: VR Edition will be available on PlayStation VR on PlayStation 4 and will also be playable on PS5 via backward compatibility. This version of the game will include both expansions for the base game and will feature overhauled controls that aim to take advantage of the PSVR for both the player’s head and hands. For the full trailer and more information about the game, check out our original news coverage.
NAUGHTY DOG IS ACTIVELY WORKING ON NEW PROJECTS
We can only hope Jak & Daxter are among these mysterious projects
Naughty Dog has already begun work on their upcoming titles, as pointed out by the company’s co-president Neil Druckmann via a post on his personal Twitter page. The developer is, no doubt, riding the waves of success from their last game – The Last of Us: Part II. It isn’t clear if the titles the Naughty Dog co-president is referring to are tied to existing franchises or entirely new IPs.
Think what you will of their previous games, the studio always brings a high level of quality and it’d certainly be exciting to see something completely new from them. There were some hints of a possibility of another Uncharted game but that may have been outsourced to another studio. Ultimately, we don’t know what Naughty Dog is working on but hopefully, we’ll hear more about it soon. To find out what we currently know in full detail, check out our original news coverage.
MARVEL’S AVENGERS IS GETTING AN XP AND COSMETIC REWORK
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics aren’t doing the game any favors
Square Enix hasn’t given up on Marvel’s Avengers just yet. While it’s doubtful they’ll get a huge amount of players to return no matter what they do, the rework they announced over on their official website certainly won’t help. Essentially, Crystal Dynamics feels the current hero XP progression is too fast and plans to significantly slow it down. Furthermore, they’ll remove random cosmetic loot, as they say, in order to increase player agency in pursuing specific items. Player reactions have mostly been negative as they consider this the best way for Square to dig the game into an even deeper hole that it’s already in. For more details on this update and more info on upcoming content, check out our original news coverage.
UPGRADED NINTENDO SWITCH COULD SOON BE ANNOUNCED
A larger screen and better visuals likely to be the main feature
According to a new report, Nintendo is gearing up production for an upgraded Switch with a 7 inch OLED screen. The long-rumored console will output 4K to a TV, and the OLED would mean comparatively sharper contrast and deeper blacks, as well as better power consumption and faster response times. This will bring Nintendo somewhat closer to the new generation of PlayStation and Xbox that have the current Switch at a significant disadvantage in terms of tech. While Nintendo has repeatedly denied claims that they plan to release such a device, the competitive pressure seems to have finally caught up to them. For more detailed information on the report and the supposed “Switch Pro”, check out our original news coverage.
2021 BAFTA game awards nominations have been revealed
As expected, TLOU Part II is nominated in most categories
While not as high profile as some other gaming-centric award shows, BAFTA is still a chance to get some recognition and exposure. Doubt that the games nominated need exposure but it will definitely help them to add another accolade when releasing their GOTY editions down the line. Most notably, The Last of Us Part II leads the way with a record-breaking 14 nominations, followed by titles such as Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The 2021 BAFTA games awards are set to take place on Thursday, 25th March. Until then, check out our original news coverage for the full list of nominations in each category.
